This was a Social Science course that I took to fulfill the requirements of the degree program that I am currently in. The class was an overview of the film and television industries since their respective inceptions. There was lots of reading, watching films & tv shows, and analysis. Overall I enjoyed the course, the material was well presented, and the instructor was great.
This is what we went over:
Week 1 – “Classical Hollywood Cinema”, Jun 27 – Jul 1
Introduction, Meet and Greet, The Eye and the I of Cinema (Part 1), The Eye and the I of Cinema (Part 2), Classical Hollywood Cinema, Film Narrative, Film Narrative: Apollo 13, Film Style, Terms for Film and Television Analysis, Terminology, Discussion 1.1: Classical Hollywood Cinema in Your Favorite Movie, How to Approach Assignments in the Course, Assignment 1: Classical Hollywood Cinema in Early Films, Recap
Week 2 – “Early Cinema: From Muybridge to The Great Train Robbery”, Jul 2nd – Jul 8th
Introduction, Photography into Moving Image: Muybridge and Early Image Toys (Part 1), Photography into Moving Image: Muybridge and Early Image Toys (Part 2), The Beginnings of Cinema: Reality, Artifice, and Spectacle: Edison, Lumière and Méliès, Edison: Entertainment, Lumière Brothers and The Cinematographe: Actualites, Méliès: The “Magic” of Illusion, Narrative and Style Together, The Great Train Robbery (1903), Discussion 2.1: What Surprises You About Early Cinema?, Assignment 2: How a Story Is Told Visually, Recap
Week 3 – “Silent Film”, Jul 9th – Jul 15th
Introduction, The Language of Film Develops, Film Aesthetics Develop, Narrative and Conventions: Genre, Narrative and Conventions, lt, Music in the Silent Era, Discussion 3.1: It in Cultural Context, Assignment 3: Analyze a Silent Film from the List Provided, Recap
Week 4 – “Coming of Sound in Film in the 1930 and ’40s”, Jul 16th – Jul 22nd
Introduction, Narrative and Acting in Sound Film, Diegesis: The World of the Film, Practice Exercise: Screen Bringing Up Baby, Genre Iconography, Life Cycle of a Genre, Including Television, The Studio System, Discussion 4.1: Approaches to Bringing Up Baby, Assignment 4: A Film That Exemplifies or Revises Genre, Recap
Week 5 – “Film Sound”, Jul 23rd – Jul 29th
Introduction, Why Do We Even Have Music in Films?, Bernard Herrmann, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound, The Sound Mix, Practice Exercise: Interactive Sound Editing, The Elements of a Score, Sound and Image Make Meaning, Further Discussion of Film Sound, Discussion 5.1: Film Sound in Citizen Kane, Assignment 5: Interactive Assignment in Sound Mixing, Recap
Week 6 – “Network Television”, Jul 30th – Aug 5th
Introduction, Origins of Television Culture: I Love Lucy, Television Genres, Economics of Production, Discussion 6.1: Television in Everyday Life, Assignment 6: Analyzing an Episode of a TV Show, Recap
Week 7 – “Documentary, Experimental, and Animated Film and Television”, Aug 6th – Aug 12th
Introduction, Beyond Classical Hollywood Cinema, Documentary, Experimental and Avant-Garde, Animation, Influences on Mainstream Film and Television, Discussion 7.1: Reality Television, Assignment 7: Innovations That Influence Mainstream Film, Recap
Week 8 – “Mise-en-Scene: What Is in the Shot”, Aug 13th – Aug 19th
Introduction, Setting, Costume and Makeup, Lighting, Performance and Movement (Acting, Blocking, Staging), Composition: Framing, Composition: Movement within the Frame, Discussion 8.1: Rear Window, Assignment 8: Mise-en-Scène, Recap
Week 9 – “Cinematography: Photographic Qualities of the Shot”, Aug 20th – Aug 26th
Introduction, The Look of an Image, Practice Exercise: Lens Selection, List of Shots, Extreme Long Shot, Long Shot, Medium Long Shot, Medium Shot, Medium Close-Up and Close-Up, Extreme Close-Up, Framing, Scale/Proximity, Camera Movement, How the Camera “Speaks”: The Language of Film, Discussion 9.1: Breathless, Assignment 9: Significant Shot, Recap
Week 10 – “Editing”, Aug 27th – Sep 2nd
Introduction, Continuity Editing: Invisible Style, The Development of Editing, Montage: Editing as Art, Editing in Television, Practice Exercise: Editing, Discussion 10.1: The Graduate, Assignment 10: Editing, Recap
Week 11 – “Television in the Cable and Internet Eras”, Sep 3rd – Sep 9th
Introduction, Television Genres, Social Context, Spectatorship in the Cable and Internet Era, Streaming Services, What Stays the Same: The Sitcom Today, Discussion 11.1: Cliffhangers, Assignment 11: Genre, Recap
Week 12 – “The Digital Era”, Sep 10th – Sep 16th
Introduction, The Digital Revolution, Digital Technology and Acting, From CGI to Whole Sets, Worlds, and Digital Performers, Creating Crowds for Lord of the Rings, What is Digital Cinema?, Transmedia, Digital Television: Aesthetics and Narratives, Discussion 12.1: Transmedia Example, Assignment 12: Bringing it all Together, Recap